HBO Max has given a series order to GORDITA CHRONICLES from Sony Pictures Television starring Diana Maria Riva, Juan Javier Cardenas and Olivia Goncalves.
‘Gordita Chronicles’ is a family comedy about a willful, 12-year-old Dominican girl, Carlota ‘Cucu’ Castelli, who struggles to fit into hedonistic 1980s Miami as her family pursues the American dream. Cucu leaves her home in Santo Domingo to live in Miami during the 1980s after her father, an airline marketing executive is transferred there. Cucu meets head-on the challenges of being an immigrant in a strange new world with humor, bravado and some really bad choices.
Eva Longoria directed the pilot and will serve as executive producer for UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. Claudia Forestieri wrote the pilot and will serve as executive producer.
Credits: Josh Berman (“Drop Dead Diva,” “CSI”) executive produces alongside Jennifer Robinson and Chris King of Osprey Productions. Brigitte Munoz-Liebowitz will executive produce and showrun for Bons Mots Emporium. Zoe Saldana, Mariel Saldana and Cisely Saldana are executive producers for Cinestar Pictures.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zoe, Eva, Josh and Sony Pictures Television to bring to life this beautiful coming-of-age story inspired by Claudia’s personal journey,” said Jennifer O’Connell, Executive Vice President, Non-Fiction and Live-Action Family Programming, HBO Max.
“HBO Max is proud to work with the powerhouse Latinx talent in front of and behind the camera for this series, which we believe will resonate with all families,” added Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max.
“From the minute we heard Claudia’s childhood story, we knew it was not only incredibly funny, but emotionally poignant and an important story to tell,” said Jason Clodfelter, Co-President, Sony Pictures Television Studios. “Cucu and the Castellis remind us of the iconic sitcom families we grew up watching, but none of those ever captured a Dominican family’s experience of coming to America. This show changes all of that, and we are thrilled and grateful to dive back in and make a wonderful series for our friends at HBO Max.”
Cast includes:
Olivia Goncalves as “Carlota ‘Cucu’ Castelli,” a willful, confident, reluctant Dominican immigrant with a heart of gold. Cucu is overzealous in her quest to regain the queen bee status in her new school, when her parents and older sister move to Miami for her dad’s new job.
Diana Maria Riva (“Dead to Me,” “McFarland, USA”) as “Adela,” Cucu’s mom.
Juan Javier Cardenas as “Victor Castelli,” Cucu’s dad.
Savannah Nicole Ruiz as “Emilia,” Cucu’s older sister.
Noah Rico (“High School Musical: The Musical”) as “Yosmel ‘Yoshy’ Hernandez,” a Cuban refugee and Cucu’s first friend in Miami.
Cosette Hauer as “Ashley,” an optimistic go-getter desperate to fit in, but nevertheless always sticks out.
